House feud

Tensions between [House Speaker Kevin] McCarthy and [Rep. Matt] Gaetz were on the rise over August recess, with the Florida Republican warning the Speaker that he could lose his gavel if he stands in the way of Gaetz’s efforts to force votes on impeachment.

[...]

Upping the pressure another notch, a coalition of conservatives on Wednesday blocked an effort to advance legislation funding the Pentagon over demands for deeper spending cuts — amid increased conversations over potentially ousting the Speaker.

The tension was evident the next morning.

“If you want to file a motion to vacate, then file the f‑‑‑ing motion,” McCarthy said during a closed-door GOP conference meeting on Thursday, according to Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.).

The California Republican acknowledged he had displayed “frustration” during the meeting, saying after the gathering that he was “frustrated with some people in the conference” after the Pentagon appropriations bill tanked.

Gaetz responded by saying McCarthy should better handle his emotions.

[...]

“There’s not much to negotiate. We did the negotiation in January,” [Gaetz] added. “We’re not going to pay twice for the same hostage. We want full compliance with the deal we made in January.”

  The Hill

Hostage is a good word.

McCarthy, for his part, has said Gaetz is taking him on for personal reasons, claiming that the Florida Republican thinks the Speaker is meddling in his Ethics Committee investigation.

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Gaetz has not publicly accused McCarthy of playing a role in his Ethics Committee investigation. The Speaker, however, thinks that is the source of his conservative colleague’s frustration and not how the appropriations and legislative processes are being handled.

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He said McCarthy’s implication that he wanted special treatment in regards to the complaint is “an abject lie from a sad and pathetic man who lies to hold onto power.”

[...]

The House Ethics Committee opened a probe into Gaetz in 2021 on allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, the sharing of inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, the misuse of state identification records, converting campaigns funds to personal use and the acceptable of a bribe, improper gratuity or an impermissible gift.

The panel eventually deferred its investigation to the Department of Justice (DOJ) per their request, as the congressman was under investigation for alleged sex-trafficking. Gaetz’s office announced in February that the DOJ had concluded its probe and decided not to charge him.

But in June, Punchbowl News reported that the Ethics Committee restarted its investigation into Gaetz, and one month later, CNN and ABC News said the panel was contacting witnesses for the probe.

I missed that part.

Gaetz on Thursday took the feud a step further, giving McCarthy a nickname on X: “McFailure.”

Oh how clever. Eyeroll.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.